1. Introduction to Lyme disease and fibromyalgia
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                                                        as of 4 May 1999

Fibromyalgia is also known as:

  Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS)
  Fibromyositis
  Primary fibromyalgia syndrome (PFS)
  Secondary fibromyalgia
  Fibrositis
  Muscular Rheumatism
  Musculoskeletal Pain Syndrome (MPS)
  Nonarticular Rheumatism
  Periarticular Fibrositis
  Rheumatoid Myositis
  Tension Myalgia
  Fibrosis

Lyme disease is also known as:

Lyme arthritis
Lyme borreliosis
Lyme encephalopathy
Lyme meningitis
Tick-borne borreliosis
Neuroborreliosis
Borreliosis
Lyme spirochaetal disease (LSD)

[Editorial note:  The purpose of this compilation of material related to 
Lyme disease and fibromyalgia is to present information that could be 
considered prior to diagnosis and treatment.  Putting aside the issue of 
whether Lyme disease does or does not "cause" some cases of 
fibromyalgia, the two diseases share so many symptoms that Lyme disease, 
as documented below, is often mistaken for fibromyalgia.  In any case, 
Lyme disease should be a differential diagnosis for all fibromyalgia 
patients.]

Symptoms of Lyme disease
http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/Spa/6772/symptoms.txt

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Nine reasons for false negative Lyme disease tests results:

The Lyme Disease Foundation (LDF), in their brochure entitled "LDF 
Frequently Asked Questions About Lyme Disease" lists the following 
nine reasons for false negative Lyme disease tests results: 

[brackets contain my words]

a. Antibodies against Bb are present, but the laboratory is unable to 
detect them. [Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) is the Lyme disease bacteria.] 

b.  Antibodies against Bb may not be present in detectable levels in 
patients with Lyme disease.  Reasons are listed below.

   1.  The patient is currently on, or has recently taken, antibiotics. 
The antibacterial effect of antibiotics can reduce the body's production 
of antibodies.
   2.  The patient is currently on or has previously taken 
anti-inflammatory steroidal drugs (such as those taken to treat 
rheumatoid arthritis) or certain anticancer drugs.  These can suppress a 
person's immune system, thus reducing or preventing an antibody 
response.
   3.  The patient's antibodies may be bound with the bacteria with not 
enough free antibodies available for testing. [I think this reason is 
very important and prevalent.  For this reason, some of the worst cases 
of Lyme disease test negative - too much bacteria for the immune system 
to handle.]
   4.  The patient could be immunosuppressed for a number of other 
reasons and the immune system is not reacting to the bacterium.
   5.  The bacterium has changed its makeup (antigenic shift) limiting 
recognition by the patient's immune system.
   6.  The patient's immune response has not been stimulated to produce 
antibodies, i.e., the blood test is taken too soon after the tick-bite 
(2-6 weeks).  Please do not interpret this statement as implying that 
you should wait for a positive test to begin treatment.
   7.  The laboratory has raised its cutoff so high that a patient's 
previously positive test is now borderline or negative.
   8.  The patient is reacting to the Lyme bacterium, but is not 
producing the "right" bands to be considered positive.

Lyme Disease Foundation
1 Financial Plaza
Hartford, CT 06103
(860)525-2000
fax (860)525-TICK
Lyme Disease National Hotline (800)886-LYME
email: mailto:lymefnd@aol.com
web page: http://www.lyme.org/index2.html 

  For more on false negative/positive Lyme disease test results see:

  Lyme disease and false negative or false positive blood test results
  http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/Spa/6772/false-neg-pos-index.html

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See:
Lyme disease Misdiagnosed as Fibromyalgia - Index
http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/Oasis/6455/fms-index.html
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Prepared by
Art Doherty
Lompoc, California
doherty@utech.net